U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue Tuesday announced the initial down-select list of 136 Expressions of Interest received from parties in 35 states vying to become the new homes of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research
Service (ERS) and National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). USDA is following a rigorous site selection process to identify the new locations with involvement from USDA, ERS, and NIFA leadership.

"The announcement of this middle list shows that we are committed to the important missions of these agencies and transparency in our selection process. USDA will make the best choice for our employees and customers," Perdue said. "Relocation will help
ensure that USDA is the most effective, most efficient, and most customer-focused agency in the federal government, allowing us to be closer to our stakeholders and move our resources closer to our customers."

For this initial down-select, USDA applied a set of guiding principles against the Expressions of Interest locations including USDA travel requirements, labor force statistics, work hours most compatible with all USDA office schedules. Sixty-seven Expressions
of Interest remain under consideration.

The complete list of Expressions of Interest still under consideration includes: